Welding machine



WELDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 24, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet l 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 24, 1940 May 2o, 1941.

W. H. MARTIN WELDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 24, 1940 .'5 Sheets-Sheet 5 IIIIE connned l Patented May 20, 1941l UNITED STATES `PATENT OFFICE.r

WELDING MACHINE f william n. Miron, Pleasant man, Mien. A Applicants reti-hm 24, 1940. No. azotes 3Claims.

4ducean efiicient welding machine, wherein a plurality of spot welds may be, simultaneously, formed between electrodes disposed on contiguously located secondary protruding terminal bars of a plurality of transformers andlocatedin substantially parallel arrangement.

The invention, also, has for its object to dispose transformers in juxtaposed relation to permit location of their terminals in close, parallel, alternate relation as'to their directionl of current flow to'reduce current reaction and enable the production of, substantially, the same current flow between the electrodes in the production of simultaneously formed welds, 'by the same applied potential, except as to the outer electrodes.

Structures containing the invention may partake of different forms and may be varied in their details and still embody the invention. ',Io illustrate a practical application of the invention, I have selected a welding machine as an example of the various structures containing the invention and shall describe the selected structure I hereinafter. The particular structure selected is l shown In the accompanying drawings. l

Fig. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a part of the machine, wherein is disclosed the terminal bars and the Welders for 'operating the electrodes to engage the work. Fig. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a pair of the transformers to more clearly show the arran'gent of the connected parts. Fig. 3 illustrates, diagrammatically, the electric connections between the parts of the machine.

'l'.he parts, shown in Fig. 1, may be mounted inV a machine frame of any form for convenience of operation. The machine is providedwith a plurallty of transformers l. each having primary windings 1 and secondaries l in the formof shaped bars that may be bent to produce but a few turns, such as 1, 2, or 3 turns, and located between sections of the primary'coils, in order to produce large secondary currents. The prirmaries 1 and the secondaries l are mounted on cores Il of laminated iron or, preferably, are RigJ 'cated within and surround cross .pam or the cores. Y

In order to dispose the transformers in closely relation and the secondary terminal bars parallel, contiguous arrangement to closely locate the electrodesl the transformerssecondary terminal bars are divided into two sets, one set of each being located above the other set, substantially as shown n Fig.l1. The longitudinal axes of the bars are located,substantlally, parallel to each other and in planes one above the other and separated from each other by a short distance so as to enable the insertion of the work between the electrodes I2 located on the ends of the bars II and so as to dispose the contiguously located secondary bars II of each set alternate, with reference to the potentials produced in the bars .by the transformers. The upper set of the secondary terminal bars I I comprise the blocks Il and the flexible laminated conductors I5 that connect each block to a secondary. In order to locate Ithe secondary terminal bars in, substantially, parallel planes and connect them to the secondaries, each secondary has an extended end portion I1 that is connected to the more remote blocks Il are operated by the welder cylinders and pistons Il, which are supported on suitable bars I9 that may be secured by bolts to an overhanging part of the frame of the machine. The upper electrodes I2 are mounted in theterminal blocks I4 and in alignment with the lower electrades/I2, which are mounted in the lower terminal bars I I. l

In the operation of the welding machine, the Welder cylinders IB are connected to a *booster` 20 by a manuold 2I and, when the booster 20 is operated, fluid pressure is transmitted through the manifold 2I to the cylinders Il to produce simultaneous operation of the upper of the electrodes I2 to ,press the work between the upper and lower electrodes I2. Thebooster 20 may be connected to apipe 22 that is connected with a transformers i are connectedto the secondaryll of a variable transformer Il to produce notonly the alternate potentials od the contiguously f locatedsecondarytenninalsbarsllbythedirection of current iiow through the primaries, but,

tentials of the contiguously located terminal bars,

also, to produce the required -potentials of the electrodes. The alternate relation of the potentials of the terminal bars greatly reduce the requisite potential and, thus, Iproduce'approximately the same potential difference at the electrodes by, substantially, the same potential of the secondary 30. By the alternate relationship of the pothe total potential loss is g'reatlyreduced, by reason of the reduction of the inductive reactance other transformers may be connected to the inner of the coils of the secondary Sil of the transformer 3i'through the terminals 32 and 35 or 31. Preferably, the potentials, taking them in the order of the transformers from the outermost to the central transformer or transformers that will produce the more 'eflicient results, will be approxi-A A mately the ratio of 422%:2 and, consequently,

the primaries of the transformers contiguous to the outer of the transformers will be connected to a terminal, such as the terminals 32 and 35 of the secondaryfS to produce, substantially, the ratiov of potentials as designated, and the central transformers will, also, lbe connected to an inner terminal, such as the terminals 32 and 31 of the .'secondary. Any number of transformers may be used to produce, simultaneously, any number of welds.

Thus, there may be any number of central transformers, Whose terminal bars equally counteract to` produce' the same result with a relatively low potential; a pair of outer transformers, whose terminal bars may not be so effectively acted upon; and a pair of outermost transformers, Whose terminal bars are reacted upon by the bars of the inner transformers, Ibut possibly not with the effectiveness with which the terminal bars of the innermost transformers are affected. f

The Welding current at the potentials, as determined by the variable transformer 3|, will contine to flow, according to the adjustment of the timer relay 38, which controls the period of ilow of the current through a solenoid 4|) of the welder switch 4l. The timer 38 is controlled by a pressure switch 42 that is operated by the pressure of 'the liquid through which pressure is transmitted fiom the booster to the cylinders I8 and, when the pressure inthe pressure switch Y 42 reaches the desired welding pressure, a circuit is established through the timer 38, which causes the current to flow through the solenoid to closevthe switch 4|. The current of the timer 38 may be received from a transformer 44 having the primary 45 that is connected to the source of supply of electric current 21, the timer 38 and the switch 42 which is connected to the secondary 41.

- The switch 4| closes the circuit of the autotransformer 48 lfrom the'source ofsupply 21 and the current of the autotransformer 48 is adjustably varied by the contactor 50 to vary/the current Welder transformers 5, the requisite potentials to produce the required currents in the secondaries of the trans-formers 5.

1 claim:

l. In a welding machine, a plurality of trans- Iformers having terminal bars contiguously located and having electrodes mounted on the ends of the bars, one set of the electrodes located above the work and the other set located below the work; certain of the bars having iiexible parts intermediate their ends; the plurality of transformers electrically connected/to the electrodes through the terminal bars to produce opposite potentials at the electrodes of the contiguous terminal bars of each set and opposite potentials at thev coacting elect-redes on opposite sides of the work; means for operating the electrodes to cause the electrodes to engage the Work; and means for causing simultaneous ilow of current through the terminal bars, the electrodes, and the Work.

2. In a welding machine, a pair of sets of transformers.- each transformer having a pair of terminal bars; the terminal bars of the 'transformers located on opposite sides of the Werl; and in contiguous parallel arrangement; the terminal bars on one side of the work having flexible parts in termediate their ends; electrodes located on the ends of the terminal bars; the electrodes of the bars on one side of the work located in-opposed relation to the electrodes of the barson the other side of the work; a source of current, means for connecting the source of current to the transformers to produce opposite potentials in the electrodes of the terminal bars on opposite sides of the work and opposite potentials in the electrodes of contiguous terminal bars on each side of the work; and means for operating the electrodes to simultaneously produce the Welds.

3. In a welding machine, a pair of sets of transformers having terminal bars contiguously located and having electrodes mounted on the end parts of the bars and spaced from each other to receive the work; certain of the bars having relatively movable end parts; the plurality of transformers electrically connected tothe electrodes through the terminal bars to produce opposite potentials at the electrodes of the contiguously located terminal bars and opposite potentials at the coacting electrodes of the bars; means for operating the electrodes to cause the electrodes to engage the work; and means for causing simultaneous flow of current through the contiguously located terminal bars, the electrodes, and the work in opposite directions. i

WILLIAM H. MARTIN. 

